Motor controller



April 2 6, 1932. w. c E N 1,855,208

MOTOR CONTROLLER Original Filed July 26, 1920 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 g I INVENTOR.

as MAQW QSDWQ/VW,

2% WLQEQJ ATTORNEY.

April 26, 1932. w. c. STEVENS 1,855,203

MOTOR CONTROLLER Original Filed July 26. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. wwXa/m cimm BY 2 2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 26, 1932 um'rsn STAT-ES P ATEMT oFFiic- WILLIAM c. szrnvnns. or mums-sen, wrsoonsrn'", ASSIGNDR, BY mire Assrere MENTE, TO GUTLER-HAJKMER INCL, 0E

OF DELAWARE MILWAUKEE WISGOE'MH, A GUEIFGEAEHWE" This invention relates trollers for electric mot rs.

my Potent No. 1,6d0,89 of February 28, 1928, of which the present application division, there is disclosed e circuit con troller capable of application in various Cil" cults and according to the present invention ll propose to utilize such circuit controller in starting systems embodying uuto-trensiornn ers.

An object of my invention is to provide starting system in which the circuit controller lized to transfer the motor "from the out trensforiner connections to the line CORIL- tions without interrupting the motor circuit.

Another object is to provide remote control system of the aforesaid character for starting and controlling induction motors of the squirrel-cage type Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention which will now be described, it being understood that the and 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illus trating a slightly modified construction, and, 7

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show diagrammatically the connections for the various steps used in stcrting of the motor. Y

Referring to Fig. 1 ofthedrawing, the

same illustrates a compensator starter comprising a controller 0 adaptcdto effect starting andrunning. connections for a three phase induction motor M to be supplied from lines L L, L, the starting connections being made through an auto-transformer T,

The controller 0 comprises six associated switches each having a movable contactor and one or more fixed contacts to be engaged thererests being designated by numerals supplemented by letters 0; or b. l or facility oi? description said switches may conveniently be divided into two groups, the first group comprising switches 10 to 13 end the second group comprising switches 14: and Switches ll, 12 end 13 which control the line connections of motor M, are of siinil i uruction, ench comprising two electrn cn-liy independent lined contacts, th ir con-- te ters being connected, and adopted by moons of operating mechanism to be hereinotter described to act simultaneously end sirnilsrly and each to engage its associated scts' progressively and selectively Switch s it and 15 which control the interconnections of transformer T are likewise adopted to act in unison for engagement end disengagement of their respective single fixed contacts. Switch 10) which is adopted to'control the energizing circuit of it holding coil 16, has its contractor mechanically connected with the contnctors of switches 11, and 13 for movement therewith, its single fixed con tact being elongated to provide for continuous energizetion of the coil 16 so long as said letter switches remain in either of their on. positions ln practice the contsctors 10 to 13 are secured in resilient and spaced relation upon bar 1'? being insulated therefrom and o ersble thereb while the contectors 14 end. 15 are similar y supported by and upon it similar her 18. A system of levers, to be hereinsfter described, is arranged at each end of each of said bars 17 andjlS for actuation of the latter. and of the contactors carried thereby. Said sets of "lovers are in turn mounted upon a single shaft 19 for operation 7 I eing itself supported by brackets 20 carried by a suitable panel 21.

thereby, said shaft circuit of coil 16 is completed thereby actuating a device indicated at 24 for latching-in switches 10 to 13, switches 14 and 15, however, being unafi'ected by said device. Thereafter upon release of the operatin means for the shaft 19, switches 11, 12 an 13 arev adapted to move automatically to their sec ond on position thus connecting the motor directly to the supply lines for running, whereas switches 14 and 15, being unrestrained by the latching-in device 24, are free to move directly to ofi position thus interru ting the interconnections of the autotrans ormer, the energizin circuit of the coil 16 bein maintained. ghould the voltage across t e supply lines fail, the latching device 24 is released thus permitting switches .10 to 13 to open for disconnecting the motor and interrupting the circuit of coil 16.

The different operative ositions of the levers which provide the a oredescribed action of switches 10 to 13 are shown more in detail in Figs. 2 to 4.

As illustrated, each of the aforementioned systems of levers preferably comprises a pair of levers and 31 terminally mounted upon the shaft 19, the lever 30 being rigidly secured to said shaft and the lever 31 being oscillatable relative thereto. A

' floating lever 32 is carried between the free ends of the said former levers and provided with a positive pivotal connection with the lever 30 and with a loose motion pivotal connection with the lever 31. The contact carrying bar 17 is rigidly secured between the floating levers 32 of the two systems of levers and adjacent the terminal portion of said levers 32 which are connected with the' levers ,31.

In practice said bar 17 is referably constructed square to receive a p urality of twopart clampin brackets for mounting of the various switc contacts upon said bar in a own manner. Further such square sec-' tion of said rod provides for effecting a rigid mounting'thereof within the free ends of the respective floating levers 32. Moreover, said bar is provided with reduced circular terminal portions 33 extending beyond the respective floating levers 30 and each adapted to cooperate with an elongated slot 34 located adjacent the free end of its respective gormed integral with one of the brackets 20,

said frame carrying the energizing coil 16 and also having an armature member 37 pivotally supported thereby, said armature in turn having a latch 38 adapted to cooperate with the lug and a projecting lever 39providing for manual tripping of said latch.

The aforedescribed parts are so arranged with reference to the vertical panel 21 as to effect a gravity bias of all the movable contactors out of contact making position. Moreover, the arrangement is such that upon engagement of the lug 35 by the latch 38, the wei ht of the operatin" handle 22 actinfg about t e.v axis of the shaft 19 tends to 1i the floating levers 32 together with the bar 17 and the contactors carried thereby from' the first on position illustrated in Fig. 3 to the second on position illustrated in Fig. 4. A helical spring 40 having its terminal ortions bent about the levers 30 and also aving a medial looped portion 41 abutting the brackets 20 as illustrated is preferably employed to augment and assist such tendenc Upon elevation of the operatin hand e from the off osition shown in dotte lines in parts are adapted to oscillate as a unit about the axis of the shaft 19 until the contactors engage their res ective lower fixed contacts a the spring 40 eing placed under tension, and assuming energization of the coil 16- throu h closure of the switch 10, the armature 37 is attracted for latching-in the levers 31. As shown in Fig. 6 transformer T is then-connected across the supply lines L, L and L and motor M is connected to intermediate pointsof the transformer windin in suitable relation for starting. Upon su sequent release of the operatin handle the same is adapted to drop by the combined action of gravity andthe sp'rin 40 whereupon the switches 14 and 15, eing unrestrained, are adap ed to fly open for effecting a quick brea Motor M is then connected in series relation to sections of the transformer windings T as shown in Fi 7. At the same time the floating levers 32 which are associated with the bar 17 are forced upwardly, thus causing the contactors of switches 11, 12 and 13 to leave their respective fixed contacts a and move upwardly into en agement with their contacts b, the termina portions 33 of the bar 17 sliding Ill within the respective slots 34. Motor M is then connected directl to the suppl circuit as shown in Fig. 8. elease of the latching device 24 either manually or through failure of voltage as aforedescribed rmits the contactors to move directly to 0 position without re-engagement of their respective con- .tacts a.

The aforedescribed construction and arrangement thus rovide for simple angular movement of said contactors into their first on position, for rectilinear movement to their linear and angular return movement to of essence second, on position, and for a compound position.

For purposes of standardization, the two s stems of levers employed to eflect operation of switches 14 and 15 may be constructed similar to those aforedescribed, however, as each of said switches is required to control but a single set of connections, the construction may be simplified by providing circular openings in lieu of the elongated slots 34 in the upper ends of the lovers -31, throw of said levers being correspondingly reduced, or the burs l8 rosy even be c nected directly and rigidly with as illustrated' The switch 10, being 1- i to carry only control currents, iso of simplified construction end may even com prise simple butt contocts, the contnct 10o being elongated in the munner end the purposes described,

The power operating meens for the con troller comprises erv solenoid 42 having its plunger es connected to the opereting lever 23 through suitable linkage and adopted upon energizution of its winding to edect upward thrust upon said lever for moving the controller contacts to first on position, A switch 44,- huving retarding dosh pot is resiliently connected to said solenoid plunger to be opened thereby for deenergizing the solenoid winding and pen initting the controller ports to move to run ning position subject to s time element dur connect the motor M to t ing which the motor is adopted to attain run ning" speed. A starting push button switch 46 provides for closure of the energizing circuit of sold solenoid while it stop button t? provides for interruption of the circuit of the holding coil 16.

Upon closure of the starting button 46, the energizing circuit of operating solenoid 42 is completed, said circuit extending from line L by conductor 48 through the winding oi said solenoid by conductor 49 through the solenoid relay 44 by conductor 50 through said starting button by conductor 51 through the sto button end-by conductor 52 to line L". Said solenoid thereupon responds, drewing in its plunger and moving" all of the con troller contacts to their lower or first on position. Such action serves to connect the auto-transformer to the supply lines and to e transformer. Closure of the starting push button slso serves to complete the energizing circuit of holding coil'16, said circuit extending from line L by conductor 54 through said coil thence by conductor 55 to conductor 50 and thenceito line'L as formerly traced, continuity of said circuit being thusrendered independent of relay 44.

Closure of switch 10 serves to connect con ductor 55, through conductor 53 and the stop button directly to line L, shunting the store ing button which may therefore be released and permitted to open as soon as the controller moves to its first on position.

After e given time interval determined by the calibration of the dash pct 45 the relsy it is adapted to open, thus deenergizing the operatingsolenoid 42 whereupon the contactors oil switches 11, 12 and 13 moveto their second on position, thus connecting the motor directly across the supply lines, the energizing circuit of the letchin coil being msintsined by the switch 10. in this con-- nection it should he noted that during movevctcrs i1, 12 and 13 to th 11 each of the some moir is uninterru during this chungeo Y. solenoid o g mechanism also mo ves to on intermecnte position "wherein the re le is msintuined open.

The contoctors ofswitches l and 15 on the other hand move directly to ofi position in the manner uiloredescribed, thus interrupting the interconnections of the trusstormer. Upon failure of volume su mlied E) to the motor, the latching coil becomes energized Wl 'eupon switches 10 to 1" are free to move 6. rectly to of? position.

While the controller is in either oi its on positions, voluntary stopping of the motor may be effected either through op ning no stop button or manual tripping tl the latch 3 Referring now to 5, the some illussuch chsrscter us to open the circuit 05: the

vi a:

latching coil upon relstively slightboc movement oi so id contoctor less than the c quired to edect sepsretion of the contacts carrying the power currents.

The manual operation of the controller modified as etioredescribed is us follows:

Upon elevation of the hand operating lever 22 all of the switch contactors are throw? their first on position end if thereafter l6 handle he released abruptly or subjected to a sudden'downwsrd end outward pull the force upon said lever is suddenly reversed due to such pull or notion of the spring 50 or both, whereupon the controller ports more immedistely to their second on position A. s ck break of one of circuit connections on quick inelze oi otherset. However,

should the direction of motion of the operating handle be permitted to reverse 1n a sluggish or deliberate manner the projections ,33 instead of moving along the elongated portions of the slots 34 will be forced by the tension of the. spring 40 into the enlarged portions 60 of said slots, thus permitting the bar 17 carrying the contacts 10 to 13 to move away from the panel 22 a distance sufiicient to eiiect opening of the switch 10 without, however, interrupting the power connections of the motor through switches 11, 12 and 13. Such interruption of the cir-. cuit of the latching coil 16 permits the latch to open whereupon the'controller is adapted to move directly to off position.

The aforedescribed construction provides for movement of the controller-contacts directly from starting to oil position by means of the operating handle 22 without requiring tripping of the latch-39 by the operator whereby the controller may be operated for this purpose with one hand.

The modified construction possesses the further advantage of insuring that the controller be quickly and positively thrown from starting to running position, thus insuring aquick make and quick break since should the operator attempt to move the controller in a tardy or negligent manner through such stage in its Qperation the magnetic latch is automatically released whereupon the controller automatically returns to off position.

' What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination with an alternating current motor and. an auto-transformer, of a plurality of cooperating contacts for connecting the motor and the transformer directly in shunt and inseries relation and for excluding the transformer from the circuit of said motor, means including an operating member movable in one direction to connect the motor and the transformer in shunt, and in an opposite direction to first connect the motor and the transformer in series and to thereafter exclude the transformer from the motor circuit, and an electromagnet adapted when energized to move said member in the former direction and when deenergized to permit return movement thereof in the latter direction, manual means for controlling the energizing circuit of said electromagnet L and automatic means for interrupting the energizing clrcuit of said electromagnet after a predetermined interval upon response thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM G. STEVENS; 

